Cal Gymnastics Adds Talented Trio
BERKELEY - California women's gymnastics co-head coaches Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall Howell announced the addition of the talented trio of Miki Aderinto, Casey Brown and eMjae Frazier to the program on Wednesday.
"We are very excited to bring these three incredible student athletes to Berkeley," Howell said. "With one US National team member and two USA DP National team members, all three bring a wealth of competition experience to Berkeley. Each signee in this class has a unique style and personality that will be enjoyable for Cal Gymnastics fans. They will add an incredible amount of depth to our lineup in all four events."
Frazier comes to the team after being a USA National Team member since 2019. She competed at the USA Championship in 2019 and 2021. In October, she was named to the World Championships team and competed in Japan. Frazier took ninth place in the floor exercise after her beautiful routine earned her a 13.166 score. She also qualified for the team on the uneven bars. She traveled to Tokyo, Japan for The Friendship and Solidarity Competition 2020, helping team Solidarity to a win with 14.400 score on the vault.
"I am so excited to watch eMjae perform on the college stage," Crandall-Howell said. "She has incredible power on floor and vault, and is also a vibrant performer. Her elevated skill selection on bars and balance beam will make for multiple options in regard to routine construction. I am also thrilled to add eMjae's electric personality and passion, which will be a great fit with the Cal community."
Frazier is a native of Erial, New Jersey. She attends Reach Cyber Charter School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and competes at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, where she is coached by Donna Strauss and Bill Strauss. She was named most outstanding gymnast at the club in both 2017 and 2019. Frazier's sister, Margzetta, is a senior at UCLA. She was the 2021 Pac-12 champion and a three-time All-American on uneven bars.
From nearby Albany, the Bears will welcome Casey Brown to the squad. Brown is a member of the 2021 USA Development Program National Team and finished third in the all-around at DP Nationals (Senior A) this past year. In addition to scoring a 38.100 in the All Around, Brown claimed fourth place on both the vault and bars and a sixth-place finish on beam. She took second place at the 2021 regionals competition. Brown also won the 2019 California State Uneven Bars Championship. She also qualified to the DP Championships in 2019, after placing third All Around with a 37.225.
"Casey is a very elegant athlete," Crandall-Howell said. "Her balletic style on balance beam and floor exercise will be a standout addition to line ups on those events. She competes a Yurchenko 1.5 on vault, adding another 10.0 start value to our line-up. Uneven Bars is also a very strong event for Casey. She has consistently taken the top of the podium and we look forward to her contributions on all four events at Cal."
Brown attends Albany High School and is a member of East Bay Gymnastics where she is coached by Lisa Terry.
Miki Aderinto hails from Mesa, Arizona and is a member of the 2021 USA Development Program National Team after finishing fourth at the DP National Championship (Senior C) this past year. She claimed top-four event finishes on both the uneven bars and the floor exercise. She also won the Arizona State Championship this year, after finishing third in 2019.
"Miki is an extremely consistent competitor," Howell said. "She competes with fierce tenacity, and we are excited to watch that competitive energy light up Haas Pavilion. Miki is training a 10.0 start value on vault that will be ready this fall and her Yurchenko 1.5 will add more depth to our talented vault lineup."
Aderinto also excels in the classroom, having achieved the President's Award during every year of high school at Mountain View. She is a member of Desert Devils Gymnastics where she was coached by Ashley Schwalb and Geoff Eaton. She helped the Desert Devils to the 2021 Team State Championship in Arizona.
The talented trio will join the Bears for the 2022-23 school year.
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